Iran considers future IAEA talks

Iranian officials said they'd have another round of negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency following stalled talks last week in Vienna. Iranian envoy to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh described last week's talks with IAEA officials as "intensive," the semiofficial Fars News Agency reports. Iran and members of the international community had nuclear negotiations in Turkey and Iraq this year. Iran is suspected of pursuing the technology needed to manufacture a nuclear weapon, an allegation the government denies. An IAEA team in February said it wasn't given access to the Parchin facility in Iran nor was it able to clarify unresolved issues related to possible military dimensions to the country's nuclear program. The report from Fars notes that Tehran is curious why nuclear inspectors are pressing the issue on Parchin, which it said is a non-nuclear military site. Talks last week ended without agreements on Parchin. Tehran said Parchin was cleared by former IAEA inspectors, describing current IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano as "hawkish." Iran maintains the right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program under the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Fars reports that future talks with IAEA delegates were discussed for a date and venue to be determined.